


The Gatekeeper

by lovexyou



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Angel!Dahyun, Demon!Sana, F/F, Gen, Heaven & Hell, Light Angst, Some Plot, Supernatural Elements, Unresolved Romantic Tension, especially on jihyo, someone give her Love, technically theyre both only half, tzuyu lowkey has a crush on everyone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-17 20:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16981437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovexyou/pseuds/lovexyou
Summary: Sana could go and become chaos, bring destruction to the humans, take their lives like it’s nothing but a game to her, but she can’t be good to them. She's everything she doesn’t want to be. And for that she can’t help but feel like the antagonist of her own story, no matter how much she wants to be the hero that saves the day.Or: Dahyun’s in charge of teaching Sana how to be a good person, if only the universe would let that be an easy thing to do.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "Heroes don't exist, and if they did I wouldn't be one of them."

Sana looked out the window of the car solemnly, watching the funeral-goers walk teary-eyed before they entered the building, the faint noise of music and conversation getting carried by the wind. The makeshift funeral seems sadder than an actual one, weirdly enough. Something so empty and hollow over the circumstance of its existence. Dahyun notices the expression upon the demon's face and figures that she'll need a little push to go with her.

 

“Come on,” Dahyun says, nudging Sana on the shoulder. “You’ll be fine.”

 

The girl in question turns around in mock horror. “Are you implying that there’s _actual_ people in there that _don’t_ think I killed her?” Dahyun flinches at her tone, and Sana changes her sarcasm into sympathy. She gives her a small smile. “It’s not the best time for me to go, Dubu,” she sighs, shrinking into her seat, thinking back to everything that has happened. “You know that. Besides, this is a place meant for someone like you, not someone like me.”

 

“But what if there’s never a ‘ _best time_ ’?” Dahyun tries to convince her, “What if this place is never yours?”

 

Sana groans, hating how she can’t help but agree with Dahyun. “Ugh, you never let me be a pessimist,” she starts, looking through the front window with an annoyed pout. “And, gee, thanks for reminding me.”

 

Dahyun tries once again. “I don’t wanna go alone, Sana, I… I need someone-”

 

“I know _that!_ ” Sana’s words are as sharp as a knife. “But your _family_ , Dahyun, your _family_ is in there too. You won’t be alone without me. With me, it’ll be like we’re back in hell again.”

 

“ _Sana_ ,” Dahyun pouts and, _oh_ , Sana doesn't have the heart to say no to that.

 

“Oh, _fine,_ ” she says abruptly, taking off the seatbelt. “But don’t expect to spend a nice evening with a _demon_ by your side.”

 

 _You’re only part demon, sweetheart_ , Dahyun thinks quietly, a satisfied smile on her face. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” she says out loud.

 

~

 

If there’s one thing Sana knows about Dahyun, it’s that the younger girl knows how to be the life of the party.

 

Even with the loss heavy in her own heart, Dahyun does her best to converse with the others. She easily talks about happier moments, sharing stories of the deceased to those who didn’t know them that well. She mourns differently from others, as if she was jumping into the void of memories and pretending it didn’t hurt. Sana stayed close to the entrance, not wanting to get too close, but she couldn’t help but feel amazed over how Dahyun wore her mask perfectly and made it seem as if she wasn’t the daughter of that corpse lying in the casket.

 

Instead, Dahyun made mourning easier for everyone. Teary-eyes have smiles reaching them, and a bittersweet happiness courses through the room swiftly and smoothly like a cheerful wind. Sana can’t help but notice how Dahyun’s mask only ever breaks when she glances to the front and sees the casket.

 

“That girl, she’s the daughter, right?” one of the newly-arrived guests ask Sana.

 

“Kim Dahyun. That she is.” Sana crosses her arms over her chest, momentarily wondering how long it will take for people to notice who she is. It won't be long until a riot consumes the funeral, turning sadness into hatred. She turns to who she’s talking and sees that it’s a young man, about the same age as her, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Dahyun.

 

Upon his chest is a pin with a dual-winged crest. “I’m Kim Myungsoo,” he gives her a small, polite smile. “I don’t think we’ve met before.”

 

“I’d ask who you are, but I get the feeling that I don’t want to know,” Sana uncrosses her hands from her chest, dropping them to her sides. “You shouldn’t be here,” she warns.

 

He nods once, his smile never dropping. “I understand your concern, but I’m here for my little sister.”

 

Sana shakes her head. “She doesn’t want you here- doesn’t _need_ you here.”

 

“I’m also here for you,” he continues, pulling out a small silvery item out of his shirt pocket, keeping it hidden behind his fingers so as to not spoil the surprise. “I had something I wanted to tell you before it’s too late.”

 

Sana raises an eyebrow. “Sounds ominous. What’s up?”

 

“Don’t blame yourself,” he says in a single breath, all too quick and all too honest. “It’s not your fault, no matter what they say. Don't live through their lies. Their rumors are not your truth.” He puts the item in Sana's palm, closing her hand so as to keep it a secret.

 

Sana just looks at him with a bored expression, though inside those words warm her heart a little. “Is that all?”

 

Myungsoo nods, gives her another smile. “I’ll be waiting outside.”

 

As soon as he leaves, Dahyun walks back to her. “Who was that?” she asks immediately.

 

Sana smiles at how protective the younger girl is being about her. “Don’t worry about that for now.” She turns to look back to the casket in the front. “Can you go with me?”

 

Dahyun hesitates, confused by Sana’s request. “Uh, sure?”

 

Trying to ignore the anxiety in her heart, Sana looks down at the item in her hand. It's a silver box, and when she opens it there's a gray pendant. Realization dawns on her and Sana quickly passes the item onto Dahyun's hands. The younger girl looks down, seeing the pendant and quickly removing it from the box. Dahyun pushes it up her sleeve, understanding what to do. The two of them walk towards where the casket lays.

 

Sana isn’t sure how to feel when she looks down at the body. Dahyun’s mother resembles her a little too much, so much so that Sana can’t help but feel as if she killed a bit of Dahyun through her. She knows it’s not true, but she can’t ignore the facts. It’s still a death _she_ caused, whether is was by accident or not.

 

The woman was by no means old, but age still showed on her face. She had the wrinkles of a smile detailing the edges, bringing a sort of beauty in her desolation. She wore a red dress, the color bright enough to be seen through the thin sheet covering her body that was hiding away Sana's mistakes. Sana recognized the dress as being the one the woman had worn the first time she had met her, and that detail laughed in the face of death now.

 

“I’m sorry,” she says, muttering the words underneath her breath, the heaviness of it all catching up to her like a downpour.

 

Maybe if she could change time, maybe if there was a way to change things… Sana momentarily entertains the idea of asking Death to do so, but she knows that it’s probably not a request that’s worth the effort. It’d be the second time Sana visits Hell since she’s left and she’s never heard of anyone successfully convincing Death to do anything like this. Sana could go and become chaos, bring destruction to the humans, take their lives like it’s nothing but a game to her, but she can’t be good to them. She has the immense power to become everything she doesn’t want to be. Darkness is in her very blood, flows through her life as much as it flows through their deaths. And for that she can’t help but feel like the antagonist of her own story, no matter how much she wants to be the hero that saves the day.

 

The maybes and what-ifs have haunted her for the past days since the death. She knows better than to dwell in these thoughts, but knowing better doesn’t mean she’ll stop any time soon.

 

“I’m sorry,” Sana repeats, a little lower this time, keeping it more to herself than to the world.

 

Dahyun wonders if Sana's apologizing to herself.

 

“ _Demon._ How _dare_ you strut into here as if you have a _right_ -”

 

“Time to leave,” Sana says cheerily, the moment gone and lost, bumping her shoulder against Dahyun’s. The younger girl hesitates to move, looking at the casket for a moment longer. “I’ll take you back, don’t worry, but we need to leave-”

 

Someone calls Sana a murderer, and it doesn’t take long for it to spread.

 

Sana turns to the casket for the last time. “I’m sure we’ll meet again,” she says before turning away.

 

Even though Sana knew that walking into a funeral filled with people that believe she’s the killer was not a good idea and would never be, she sorely underestimated how bad it would get.

 

It quickly turns violent and Sana has to jump onto the wall to dodge a chair that was thrown at her. Her nails grow into claws, scraping the thin wood behind her and successfully sticking her to it, gravity paying to mind to what she does. Sana stares down at the broken pieces of the chair that barely missed her. “What did the chair ever do to you?” she growls, smiling in her confidence as her voice is distorted through the change of her form.

 

She drops back down, picking up one of the broken legs of the chair and baring it like a knife. Someone else throws a vase filled with flowers and Sana tries to swat it with her makeshift weapon, but it breaks onto the casket with bits of glass and flowers flying in every direction. It leaves harsh marks on the metal of the casket, and although Sana can’t see inside from her position, she suspects that it might have scratched the body. “Oh, that is _no way_ to treat the dead.”

 

Dahyun ducks down next to her, slipping the pendant out of the inside of her sleeves and passing it back to Sana. The gray jewel is shining with darkness. “Done. Fuck ‘em up,” Dahyun says slyly, but there’s not enough time for Sana to react to her curse.

 

Sana pushes herself to the side to avoid impact with another innocent inanimate object. “You know, Dahyun-ah, it was nice to get to know your mother and all, but I’m gonna have to leave earlier than expected.”

 

Before anyone can do anything, Sana’s already changed. Her physical form deconstructing itself, morphing into dark ashes of her former self. She jumps through the room’s shadows, leaving nothing in her wake except for an eerie chill.

 

As she falls outside, she finds herself face to face with a boy who has a dual-winged crest pinned on his chest.

 

And then there’s nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw this is an ot9 fic so expect switching perspectives a Lot

It comes like an echo, bouncing off the walls inside her skull.

 

Sana lunges forward in desperation but is held back by chains. Their shrill screams are overwhelming, clinging to her body. She snaps at the air, feeling her face morph into that of a monster, fangs protruding and biting. Sana tries to push herself free, tries to break the chains holding her but it’s no use. She's a trapped beast.

 

“ _Hey_ , hey, it’s okay,” Dahyun tries to comfort her.

 

Despite hearing her, Sana continues to try and break free. After a few attempts, all she has to show for it are the slick drops of blood dripping onto the floor, melting into the gray. She huffs, annoyed, and finally looks at her partner.

 

As soon as she sees her, it feels like everything calms down, and Dahyun becomes the only thing important enough to care about in this world. She looks at the messy light brown hair that’s sticking out everywhere and she knows it’s from stress and self-blame. She looks at her tired eyes, and she knows they’re hiding too many tears.

 

“It’ll be alright,” Dahyun continues, trying to calm her down without realizing that Sana is more worried about her than herself.

 

Sana tries to push herself out of her chains again with a sharp movement, and this time they do break. Sana practically falls into the younger girl, envelops her in a hug.

 

She feels the younger girl muffle a sob on her shoulders. Sana thinks it’s because of her mom, but she wouldn’t rule out that she’s afraid.

 

Sana looks around now, trying to see if there's any way to escape, but there’s nothing. It’s a room with no windows, no doors, nothing except for the demon and the angel stuck within, both too human to get help from their separate factions. When she turns her head up, she sees a single entrance to the room, the stars shining right over them.

 

~

 

It’s a nightmare. Sana hears it again, someone calling for help, their screams and cries echoing in her head. She tries to climb the walls but her claws just barely scratch their surface.

 

“ _Dahyun_ ,” she whimpers, hating how much it hurts to feel this person's pain and not be able to help.

 

“I’m here,” the younger girl whispers, quiet against the silence, listening, crawling towards her.

 

* * *

 

Chaeyoung whimpers when she sees the “NOW LEAVING” sign, the words seeming to scream at her to stop.

 

The walls, the trees, the village, even the sirens swimming by the lake- they were all her home. It wasn’t a person, it wasn’t a structure or a building; it was the wind and the sounds and the life inside her hometown. It was everything that made her feel safe, everything that felt like love, everything that took care of her no matter what happened. It was the beauty and the pain and the continued existence of a story that would never reach it's end.

 

And it was all gone now. The story had ended without a final chapter.

 

She kept running despite everything in her telling her to stop and smell the roses (like she always lovingly did) for one last time. She doesn't. She knows she can't waste a single second.

 

Chaeyoung didn’t know where she was going. She didn’t know where this path would lead her, if there was any promise of a happy ending for her anymore. She pushed through, each step heavier than the last, feeling like she might fall at any moment.

 

She trips only once in the span of two hours. The first time she landed on her side, sharp thorns stabbing through the skin of her bicep, digging deep into her flesh and making sure she knew it’ll leave a scar to follow the memory of this day. Chaeyoung tried to remove them with shaky hands as she runs, but they break into further pieces, the barbs being too deep to take out without putting her full focus on them. She felt too tired to even try, and a ghost of a thought passes through her mind, echoing _at least most plants at home aren’t poisonous_ , but she was well aware that she wasn’t at home anymore.

 

It burns, the flames of it’s toxin spreading through her arm, and slowly it starts to consume her.

 

Chaeyoung decides to stop. She tries to scratch the wound, biting her lower lip over how much it hurts. She feels numb, her fingers shake as she tries to take out the rest of the thorn. She manages to remove its pieces, but then she felt herself being pulled away by an unseeable force and into a calming darkness before completely fading into oblivion.

 

An angel of death looked upon her and took mercy on her soul.

 

Jihyo held Chaeyoung in her arms and whispered a Guardian’s oath, breaking the destiny tied to Chaeyoung’s heart.

 

* * *

 

Momo looks at the notes on her lap. Writing scrawled half of the page, but it still seemed so… _empty_. She sighs, feeling rather useless. _Why do I have to be on scout duty anyway?_ she asks herself. _It’s so boring, and I’m already hungry._

 

“What’s up?” Momo’s current partner in crime, Jeongyeon, asks.

 

Momo turns to her and sees that, even though Jeongyeon is _supposed_ to be guarding their asses and making sure that they don’t accidentally die out here, Jeongyeon put her gun down _again_.

 

“This is _boring_ ,” Momo complains, “Why do _I_ have to be here?”

 

“You’re right.” Jeongyeon pats her head as if Momo was a child. “You can’t even shoot a gun.”

 

Momo pouts “ _Thanks_ , Jeong, that makes me feel _so_ much better.” She turns back, looking down to the soldiers guarding their positions. “What am I even supposed to do? Nothing’s happening. Can’t that demon just break out and make things interesting?”

 

Jeongyeon shrugs, grabbing her gun from the floor again. “Write random observations or something.”

 

Momo rolls her eyes. “Like what?”

 

“They’re not trained,” Jeongyeon points out, looking back to the soldiers. “They’re not holding their guns correctly or anything. That guy over there is playing with the trigger." She laughs at that. "I bet they’re just a bunch of volunteers.” She turns back to Momo. “They might even be worse than you!”

 

“Quit it,” Momo whines, but then realizes that Jeongyeon’s actually got a good point. “That could actually work…”

 

Momo quickly scribbles down those observations in her neat handwriting, adding more than what Jeongyeon said. She raises her head to look back to the scene before writing another observation down. Jeongyeon can’t help but smile.

 

* * *

 

Sana holds the younger girl, feeling like Dahyun just might break in her hands. Dahyun lifts her head up from her shoulder, noticing the little scars at the sides of Sana’s cheeks.

 

“Where are these from?” the younger girl asks, her voice quiet, a thumb gently caressing the skin.

 

Sana lifts her hand up to touch the scar, wanting to know what Dahyun’s referring to. “Oh, those are normal. I get them if I go full-demon too much.” Sana presses Dahyun’s hand on the scar and, to Dahyun’s surprise, it heals underneath her hand. The rugged skin smooths itself out, as if the scar was nothing but the ink of makeup that just needed to be rubbed off.

 

They both hear a rumbling outside and Sana immediately gets up, getting in front of Dahyun, ready to protect her. She hides a low growl as one of the walls lift up, temporarily blind from the sudden lighting.

 

“Sorry for that,” a woman greets them, the features of her face darkened due to being against the light of the outside world. “We weren’t able to get here until now.”

 

“Who are you?” Dahyun asks, pulling herself away from Sana’s grasp and taking a hesitant step forwards.

 

“Myoi Mina,” the woman answers with a smile.

 

* * *

 

The guard stared at the night with a grim expression on his face, bored and reaching the edge of his sanity.

 

He turns away, his back against the cold dark, before reaching into his jacket pocket. He takes out a leathery cloth and, pulling the fabric up, reveals a dagger. He studies the weapon in his hands before quickly hiding it once again. He likes to see the dagger whenever he’s feeling hopeless, because it represents everything that’s still keeping him alive.

 

“I miss you,” he mumbles in his loneliness. “You said you’d come back, but you’re still not here.”

 

 _Come back to me soon_ , he thinks. _Please._

 

_You promised._

 

_Please._

 

His pleads don’t go unheard of, though, for Tzuyu is quietly hiding behind the wall, waiting for the right moment. With a sympathetic smile, Tzuyu points her gun at the back of his head and aims. She hesitates for a moment, feeling bad for the poor guy. Tzuyu reaches into her pocket, pulling out a little bag. She digs her index finger into the bag and then brings it up the her lips, coating them with the red color of its magic. She's done this trick many times before. It pull her voice away from herself so that her enemies aren't able to tell where she is.

 

 _Stay quiet,_ she sends right into the middle of the guard’s head.

 

The guard’s eyes widen, but he stays silent and continues staring at the dagger in his hands, fear coursing through his veins.

 

 _Tell me your name_ , Tzuyu orders.

 

“I’ve been here so long,” he stammers, trying to explain, “I don’t- I don’t remember anymore.” A pause. “But you must be Jayoo.”

 

The corner of Tzuyu’s mouth lifts up in a little smirk.

 

 _Do you know where I am?_ she asks.

 

Tzuyu knows the answer but awaits the guard’s reply.

 

“...no,” he shifts uncomfortably, looking around.

 

 _Are you prepared?_ Tzuyu continues with an odd sense of amusement.

 

“No.”

 

The guard’s answer causes Tzuyu tilt her head to the side, perplexed.

 

“I don’t have to be,” he continues. “There is nothing to be prepared for. All I can do is tell you that I am not your enemy and hope that you’ll believe me.”

 

 _You’re not scared_ , Tzuyu points out curiously. She lowers her gun a little, but she can still shoot at him if need be.

 

“I want to join you,” he admits with odd excitement. “I’ve heard so many stories about you and your team, and I want to help.” A pause. “If that’s okay.”

 

Tzuyu can’t help but laugh a little at that. _Pathetic_.

 

“Let me see you,” the guard continues with too much confidence, and it sounds like a demand. “Let me know how you look, Jayoo. Are you as beautiful as they say you are?”

 

 _If you wish to know who I am,_ Tzuyu starts with, pulling the trigger and hitting the guard’s hand with a silent bullet, making him almost drop the dagger if he didn't manage to catch it with his other hand. She aims and shoots at his arm. _Then know that my name is not Jayoo._

 

The guard drops to the floor, clutching his arm in pain. “ _Please!_ ” he cries. “I just want to join what you stand for!”

 

The guard’s head bobs forward with a bullet that did not come from Tzuyu’s gun.

 

Tzuyu scoffs in annoyance. “It was just getting good,” she says out loud, watching as the guard’s body drops forwards, blood dripping off the back of his head.

 

And behind him is Jihyo, looking down at her most recent kill with satisfaction in her eyes.

 

Tzuyu immediately goes to rub off the red from her lips, embarrassed at how the magic must be making her look. Jihyo walks towards the guard while Tzuyu is still trying to fix her appearance.

 

“You look pretty,” the angel of death tells her, smiling that lovely smile of hers.

 

“Hi, unnie,” Tzuyu says a little awkwardly, shifting around nervously. She hadn’t expected to see her again so soon.

 

Jihyo takes out a gray handkerchief and leans down, grabbing the dagger from the guard’s still hand. “What’s this?” she asks out loud.

 

Tzuyu bites her lower lip, trying to think up of a reason. “Uh, his item of hope, maybe?”

 

Jihyo nods, inspecting it. The edges are visibly dull from overuse, the hilt being slightly dirty, but otherwise it hasn’t been used that often lately. Jihyo folds the cloth over it to keep it hidden.

 

“He knew who I was,” Tzuyu mentions, a bit uncomfortable with the silence.

 

Jihyo laughs good-naturedly, and it sounds like music. “Almost everyone does, sweetheart.”

 

Tzuyu can’t help but smile, feeling almost proud of it, but then Jihyo’s gone with the dagger. “Have a good night, unnie,” Tzuyu says quietly, hoping that the words reach her but knowing that they probably won’t.

  
_You too_ , Jihyo answers.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perfect beings can’t change an imperfect past.
> 
> But an imperfect being might alter the future.

“Shit, is that Jihyo?” Sana whisper-yelled, peering through the window and watching as Jihyo was walking towards the building, Mina next to her at an awkward yet polite distance.

 

“Is it?” Dahyun whisper-yelled back, risking a glance at Sana but then quickly looking back down the hallway, keeping a lookout for any guards that may have notice they weren’t in their ~~cages~~ rooms anymore.

 

“Hey, be quiet, you’re gonna get us caught!” Sana said as she moved to the next window on the right, trying to follow Jihyo but the angel had already gotten in.

 

“Then stop whisper-yelling!” Dahyun pouted, curving her finger around the gun’s trigger when she sees a shadow move down the hall.

 

Sana came across a door and tried to open it, but it was locked. Huffing, she tried to squeeze the handle and just managed to break it, but it opened it for her. She smiled to herself, proud over this act of successful villainy.

 

“Yo, wanna see something cool?” Sana asked all of a sudden, joining Dahyun to take her to the room she just discovered.

 

The younger girl simply pushed Sana back, pressing a fist to the demon’s mouth to keep her quiet, managing to keep herself in a good position to shoot. Sana tries mumbling a complaint but Dahyun doesn’t budge.

 

Whoever was walking in the hall simply keeps walking, entering a different hall without coming across them.

 

Dahyun finally lets go of Sana after a minute now that they’re safe.

 

Sana rubs her jaw. “For an angel, you’re not very nice.”

 

Dahyun rolls her eyes at her. “What is it that you wanted to show me?”

 

Sana’s eyes light up, grabbing her hand. “Come with me!”

 

And, like a dumbass who never learns from her mistakes, Dahyun follows her.

 

* * *

 

“That Tzuyu girl, why did you let her go?” Mina asks the angel of death, her curiosity having a deadly edge. “She’s my enemy, you know,” she reminds her.

 

“So?” Jihyo answers with a bored expression. “You’re not my _master_ or anything. Shouldn’t you be more worried about that demon?”

 

“Don’t change the subject.” Mina sighs, annoyed at how difficult the angel is being.

 

“She changes everything,” Jihyo points out. “She can destroy us just as easily as she can save us.”

 

“She’s a _demon_ ,” Mina reminds her.

 

“But Sana has Dahyun.” Jihyo smiles, waving her hand around. “That’s what makes her dangerous.”

 

“You and I both know that that’s not how the universe works,” Mina snaps, getting up and looking down at her. “And _I’m_ more dangerous that they will ever be, so there's no need for you to worry about it.”

 

Jihyo just shakes her head. “Fine, believe what you want to.”

 

That just makes Mina angrier. “Stop acting as if you’re better- you’re just another _demon,_ you have no power.”

 

And the angel smiles a little wider, happy to have successfully deceived Mina. “You’re always so annoyed by me,” Jihyo points out coolly, standing up, “I wonder why?”

 

Mina shrinks under her gaze and, finally, gives up and sits back down.

 

Jihyo crosses her arms in front of herself. “Don’t hide it.” She takes a couple steps back but, before she leaves, she stops and turns back around. “Sana’s not the only one you should worry about.”

 

Mina looks up at that moment. “What did you do?!”

 

And Jihyo just turns away. “You’ll find out soon.”

 

“Is everything a game for you?” Mina says as she gets up and grabs Jihyo by her wrist. “I’m trying to keep everyone safe and yet you keep making everything worse just because it’s _fun_ to you.”

 

“Chaeyoung is her name,” Jihyo hints, pulling her hand back. “But she’s not your enemy. I’m sure she’ll love to meet you.”

 

Mina narrows her eyes at her. “What are you planning, Jihyo?”

 

Jihyo just smiles. “I was thinking of leaving now, but I’d rather stay the night, if that’s fine with you.”

 

“It’s not fine with me,” Mina deadpans, but she knows that Jihyo’s already decided.

 

* * *

 

The room Sana and Dahyun find themselves in is filled with memorabilia, pictures of the royals and their not-so-royal past.

 

“You know, when you said you were going to show me something cool, I thought you actually meant that it was cool.” Dahyun grabs a picture from the wall, pulling it from it’s frame. The picture is thinner than paper and brittle in her touch. She folds it before dropping it into her pocket.

 

“What are you doing?” Sana asks, attempting to grab the picture back.

 

“We can’t just pretend we didn’t just find this,” Dahyun argues, but gives Sana the picture.

 

It was of a six-year old girl, wearing one of the royal dresses, standing between the previous King and a woman that looked like a handmaiden. As soon as Sana saw it, she knew that the young girl was Mina, but there was only one problem: Mina isn’t from a royal family.

 

“No way,” Sana gawks at the picture. “ _No way._ ”

 

“I wonder why they didn’t burn it or something,” Dahyun says as she moves further into the room, looking at everything.

 

 

Dahyun turns back to her in time to see an entire bookshelf fall onto Sana, having barely enough time to cast a spell that kills the sound.

 

Sana groans at the weight that had fallen onto her, but quickly becomes confused and panicked when she realizes that she can’t make a sound.

 

“Don’t worry, it’ll wear off in a minute or two,” Dahyun says, pulling the bookshelf up to let Sana escape from underneath it.

 

Sana tries to thank her but, again, nothing comes out of her mouth.

 

“What is it that you found?” Dahyun sighs, now curious.

 

Sana dusts herself off before grabbing a specific book from the floor. It’s of a faded brown leather, lost within its years. She opens the first page and then raises an eyebrow, turning the book towards Dahyun.

 

“ _To you, the nightmare,_ ” Dahyun reads. “Sounds fun.” She grabs the book out of Sana’s hands and passes a few pages before something catches her eye. “Oh.”

 

Sana tries to pick the book out of her hands but Dahyun just pulls it away, too busy reading.

 

“ _The first thing I learned,_ ” she reads out loud, “ _was that love didn’t exist._ ”

 

Sana tried to grab the book again, being successful this time just for it to fall from her hand.

 

Dahyun picks it up, frowning at the demon. “Just let me read it for you, okay? _Aish_ , stop being rude.”

 

Sana pouts, but finally gives in. She sits down on the floor, pats the space in front of her so Dahyun will follow her, and Dahyun finally sits next to her.

 

“ _I wanted to tell her it was just a dream,_ ” Dahyun continues, finding her place again. “ _An awful dream, a nightmare where she found out she was the monster. Just a nightmare, not real life. Why couldn’t things be that easy?_ ”

 

* * *

 

Mina sneezes, feeling cold and exposed all of a sudden.

 

“Bless you,” Jihyo says, making herself at home on the couch, even fluffing the cushions. She doesn’t even have a blanket over her.

 

Mina hovers by the door. “How are you not cold?” she asks, practically demanding an answer.

 

Jihyo shrugs. “I’m not human enough to be cold?” she says it more like a question, unsure of whether or not it’s true.

 

Mina just crosses her arms a little tighter around herself, trying to press her sweater against her skin so that maybe it would warm her up more.

 

“You should stay here,” Jihyo suggests, sitting up and turning towards her. “It’ll be like a fun little sleepover or something.”

 

Mina just looks at her.

 

Jihyo giggles at her reaction. “Live a little, Mina. Not everything has to be serious.”

 

And, finally, Mina gives in, though she goes to grab a blanket to fight the cold with.

 

* * *

 

“ _Oh, but how I loved it, this quiet warmth. I loved feeling like I had something to love in this life._ ”

 

Sana winces. “Damn, I thought that Mina girl had problems but like, she has _problems_.”

 

Dahyun just rolls her eyes at her. “Looks like the spell wore off, unfortunately.”

 

Sana pouts. “Just keep reading instead of complaining about my existence.”

 

Dahyun hesitates, deciding to close the book. “Shouldn’t we stop? Obviously no one was supposed to find this, and it’s pretty invasive of us-”

 

“Yeah, yeah, whoops,” Sana says while grabbing the book from Dahyun’s hands and propping it open again. “Ohhh _nooo_ , I guess I’ll just have to read it now,” she exaggerates.

 

“You’re going to hell,” Dahyun informs her unhelpfully.

 

“Ah, it’d be fun to go back home again,” Sana says while memories come back to her. “You’ll even get to meet my mom! Can I read now?”

 

Dahyun sighs. “Sure, I guess.”

 

“ _The second thing I learned was that love was not something I could hold onto. I couldn’t depend on anyone to save me but myself, couldn’t wish that my life could become a fairy tale after living so long knowing that it’s a tragedy_.”

 

~

 

_“Will that happen to us?” I had asked her, wondering out loud._

 

_And she had smiled, but there was an unforgiving sadness etched into it. “Maybe,” she had answered. “I hope not. But don’t worry. I’ll make sure they don’t.”_

 

_I had laid my head down on her shoulder, holding onto her like I always did. “You’ll really protect me?”_

 

_“You’re worth it.”_

 

_But the second thing I learned was that love was not something I could hold onto._

 

* * *

 

Mina woke up all of a sudden, sitting up with tears falling and falling and _falling_.

 

Jihyo looks at her worriedly, but Mina just shakes her head.

 

“Nightmares,” she gasps for breath.

 

“I know they’re more like memories than nightmares to you, Mina,” Jihyo says, taking her hand and rubbing comforting circles on her skin. “Well, memory of a nightmare might fit better.”

 

“They’re getting worst,” Mina admits, finally letting herself lean into Jihyo’s comfort.

 

“They’ll get better,” Jihyo promises, intertwining their fingers. “You’ll get better.”


	4. Chapter 4

It was too early in the morning. Dahyun had woken up after a restless sleep, and it takes her a while to recognize her surroundings.

 

Sana's still sleeping, somehow still on her side of the bed instead of throwing herself onto Dahyun like she usually does. Dahyun can't help but smile softly at the peaceful look on Sana's face. It's not often that they have a moment in their lives that resembles serenity.

 

But now that she was awake, they needed to keep going. They haven't been caught yet, but it's only a matter of time until this place is no longer safe for them. Dahyun gets up, her stomach rumbling.

 

The world is still asleep around them, lost in blurs of dark blue and purple with just a little bit of red shining over the horizon. Dahyun can't help but admire the colors, wishing that she had the time to watch the sunrise. She remembers a simpler time where she and Sana had managed to watch the sunrise together, promising each other to do this again. It had seemed like such an easy promise back then.

 

"Dubu?" Sana whispers, opening the door by a crack.

 

"Good morning," Dahyun says, turning away from the sunrise, smiling at her partner.

 

"Why did you leave?" Sana whines as she walks out, still wearing her nightclothes.

 

Dahyun just shakes her head at how silly Sana is being. She grabs her hand and points up, wanting to look at the colors of the sky again. "It's been months since we've managed to see a sunrise, huh?"

 

The sun has barely peeked over the horizon. "You're right," Sana says, a fond smile on her face, but she's not looking up. She's looking at her and Dahyun's interlocked hands.

 

~

 

After they watched the sunrise, Dahyun went walking around the area to make sure they were still safe here for at least an hour before they left. She hums as she walks, surprisingly bored at how nothing interesting has been happening.

 

Dahyun freezes when she hears two soldiers conversing with on another, but they’re too distracted to notice her. It’s hard to see them from her position, but even when Dahyun does move a little closer, she can't recognize their faces. One of them has short blonde hair, the hairstyle making her seem like a hardened soldier that’s seen too much on the battlefield and has no time for other people’s bullshit and the heavy gear on her just solidifying that. The other soldier barely looks like a soldier at all save for the military patterned pajamas, her dark brown hair a little messy. She looks like she just woke up.

 

The brunette clings to the soldier’s arm, making a show out of really wanting whatever she wants. The blonde soldier scowls but doesn’t push her off, too used to this type of behavior. Dahyun momentarily wonders if the brunette actually isn't a soldier but simply just a prostitute, but she doesn't look like it.

 

“Can you _not_ get me lost this time, Jeong?”

 

“Momo, I’m _working_.”

 

The brunette just groans. “But I’m _hungry…_ Why don’t you take care of me anymore?”

 

The blonde soldier just sighs, taking out a folded piece of paper from her back pocket and passing it onto the other. From Dahyun’s position, it looks like a map. “Here. Go get me a cup of coffee while you’re at it.”

 

The first soldier—Momo—just pouts but finally grabs the map from her hands. “What if I get attacked?” she says, still clinging onto her, not ready to let go. "Won't you feel bad because you couldn't protect me? Why don't you protect me anymore?"

 

“Stop being a baby,” Jeongyeon smiles when she says it, patting her head and also pushing her away at the same time. “And Mina’s gonna be pissed off if I don’t stay here.”

 

Momo doesn’t go immediately, but she finally gives up on trying to get the blonde soldier to slack off with her. “ _Fine_ , but you better pay me back later.”

 

Dahyun smiles to herself when the two soldiers split up, a plan forming in her head. She rolls up her sleeves, trying to remember the specific spell that created illusions.

 

~

 

It wasn't that hard for Sana to spy on someone. Even though most of the magic she's learned requires physical objects and odd little trinkets, this was one she had mastered without it. A little bubble was floating in front of Sana. It played like a movie of what Jihyo was currently doing. What Sana saw confused her. Jihyo was, as they had seen yesterday, staying here. But...

 

Sana paced back and forth, no longer sure about what they should do. On the one hand, if they escape now then they won’t have to deal with whatever bad things are coming for them if they stay. They both know that staying in one place for longer than a few days will only bring trouble. On the other hand, though… _Jihyo_. That angel of death was here and she was pretty friendly with Sana and Dahyun’s captors.

 

At that moment, Dahyun knocks twice on the door before coming in, causing the bubble to pop. She plops down on the bed, taking out a piece of paper from her back pocket, a bright red lollipop in her mouth.

 

“Oh, where did you-”

 

“I stole this from one of the guards,” Dahyun says casually about the map before passing it to Sana. It was, as Dahyun had previously guessed, a map of the building and some of the surrounding area.

 

“What about the-”

 

“Also from one of the guards,” Dahyun says while taking out a second lollipop from her pocket. “I didn’t get coffee though, but you can have this.”

 

Sana raised an eyebrow. “Why are _you_ the one who’s stealing? That’s my job.”

 

Dahyun shrugs. “You were busy spying on Jihyo with your weird magicky thing.”

 

“I-I wasn’t…” Sana tries to defend herself, but there’s really no way to deny it.

 

Dahyun points at a place at the edge of the map, moving on from that subject. “This is where we are right now,” she points at another place that’s on the other side, “and _that_ over there is the entrance.”

 

Sana turns to her, her previous hesitance coming back. “Do you think we should leave?”

 

“There’s no reason to stay,” Dahyun answers carefully, raising an eyebrow, confused as to why Sana’s acting this way all of a sudden. “And there’s no reason to trust these people after what they did.” She stops for a moment, curiosity getting the best of her. “Why do you think we should stay instead?”

 

Sana hesitates. “I mean, Jihyo’s here?” she says, her voice a little higher than usual.

 

Dahyun sighs. “Why does everyone have a crush on Jihyo-unnie?” Dahyun says while taking the map back and folding it up again, a bittersweet energy in her movement.

 

“I don’t have a crush on Jihyo!” Sana defends herself, pouting.

 

“Whatever you say,” Dahyun shakes her head at her, judging Sana for the redness spreading on her cheeks.

 

“I really don’t! I just think that maybe we should be smart about this, you know?”

 

Dahyun scoffs. “Since where are we smart about anything?”

 

Sana actually stops at that. “Okay, maybe you have a point.”

 

“You always act differently when it comes to Jihyo-unnie,” Dahyun frowns, waving the lollipop in front of Sana’s face.

 

Sana hesitates, but finally accepts the lollipop. “Let’s just go before we’re caught again.”

 

* * *

 

Mina stirs awake when Jihyo moves. Somehow, someway, they had ended up laying over their blankets on the floor with Jihyo spooning her.

 

Jihyo traces her fingers over Mina’s hand, rubbing circles on her skin distractedly, treating her like she’s as delicate as a flower. Her fingers trace over Mina’s knuckles and Jihyo frowns softly at how rough they are. Then she’s curving their fingers together, almost interlocking her fingers with hers, but Jihyo just sighs and lets it go, going back to rubbing circles over Mina’s palm. She’s too distracted to notice that Mina had woken up.

 

“Why are you still here anyways?” Mina asks all of a sudden, breaking Jihyo’s trance.

 

Jihyo’s eyes snap back up to her, surprised at how she had woken up without her realizing. “H-how long have you been awake?”

 

Mina rolls over, sitting up. “Just answer my question.”

 

“I need help,” Jihyo answers vaguely, grabbing Mina’s hand again to continue playing around.

 

“My help?”

 

Before Jihyo can continue, they hear a  scream coming from outside their room, followed by what sounds like a fight. Jihyo immediately gets up, a knife in her hand that came from God knows where. Her back to the door, Jihyo tries to hear what’s happening on the other side, but she doesn’t leave just yet.

 

Mina just snatches the knife from Jihyo’s hands. “I can take care of myself,” she whispers, but her words are barely audible due to the sound of gunshots.

 

Jihyo frowns, fear in her eyes, looking between Mina and back to the door. Her fingers are itching to have the knife again, but she doesn’t go to grab it just yet. “You’ve done that for most of your life, trust your friends to take care of you sometimes, will you?”

 

“You’re not a friend,” Mina growls, putting her ear up the door.

 

The sounds of gunshots stop, an eerie echo of silence taking their place.

 

Mina opens the door carefully.

 

A soldier with brown hair, who isn’t wearing any gear except for the gun in her hands, stumbles inside. Mina can’t see any wounds on her. The soldier drops to her knees.

 

Jihyo picks her up by the collar roughly, throwing the soldier back to the wall. “Where is she?” she mutters under her breath, carefully calm. Jihyo’s eyes shine red.

 

“She's gone,” Momo manages to say, her breath heavy, before her eyes roll back in her head and she loses consciousness.

**Author's Note:**

> this idea has been in my drafts for a long time but i've never gotten around to doing it until now. i should be finishing this fic before 2018 ends and i hope you're with me for the ride~
> 
> find me on twt @sonhyewolf


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